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Posted: Jan 21, 2014

ZEISS: Crossbeam Sets New Standards in 3D Nanotomography And Microscopes

(Nanowerk News) An art exhibit at Chicago's Midway Airport features images created by using microscopy equipment by ZEISS. Researchers from the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) Core Facilities, affiliated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, used state-of-the-art microscopes for pioneering research to capture images that address significant problems facing humanity related to health, agriculture, energy and the environment. Twelve different images from IGB's innovative research have been turned into pieces of artwork that travelers can view while using the airport. Five of the images in the exhibit were produced using ZEISS equipment.

One of the pieces of art is an image of proteins in cancer cells taken with the ZEISS LSM 710 Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope, which defines new standards for sensitivity and flexibility in examining fluorescent biological specimens. The illumination and detection design provides new possibilities in research conducted with living multi-labeled cells. The LSM 710 confocal microscope has increased sensitivity, a higher signal-to-noise ratio, improved flexibility for new fluorescence dyes and multimodal experiments, as well as new multiphoton detectors, which allow for deeper optical penetration into biological structures.

Crossbeam is suitable for use in both materials and life sciences. Materials scientists benefit from the excellent 3D analytics, the ability to image magnetic and non-conductive specimens with maximum resolution, and from the unique materials contrasts. Bioscientists can use Crossbeam, above all, for fast tomography series with high Z resolution in cell and tissue biology.

Its outstanding features include high speed in materials analysis and processing and its wide diversity of applications. Time intensive 3D experiments that used to run for several days can now be completed overnight. The newly developed focused ion beam (FIB) column enables fast and precise materials processing that can be observed with the field emission scanning electron microscope in real-time. High resolution over the entire voltage and current range allows users to work quickly and precisely. Designed for stability, the system ensures reproducible results even in long-term experiments.

The modular design of Crossbeam makes it an open 3D nano workstation that can be configured and field-upgraded for a broad spectrum of today’s and future applications, therefore offering the user maximum flexibility. In combination with a ZEISS Xradia X-ray microscope (XRM), Crossbeam offers the possibility of complete specimen analysis across several orders of magnitude. The X-ray microscope first provides a 3D image of the specimen without destroying it before the identified areas of interest are processed with the focused ion beam and analyzed with the electron beam.